Not all days feel the same — some days we feel great; other days, things might look a little dim. Nonetheless, each day brings a new opportunity to make our lives better. Each morning is a fresh start, and it is up to us to make the best out of it by doing what feels good to our body and our mind.
If you are a morning person, you must know how important the start of the day is — right from the morning walk to the first coffee cup. Every little detail in your morning routine can help define your day, productivity, and mood.
Besides, being a morning person is excellent for you — it’s backed by science! A 2019 study published in the Nature Communications journal revealed that early risers tend to be happier and healthier as they have a specific gene component that lowers their chance of chronic illness and depression.
Now, that’s already a head start for morning people, right? But sometimes, implementation can be challenging. How do we make our mornings better?
Here are some of the best ways to make the best out of your morning routine so that each day feels no less than a miracle.
1. Acknowledge how you feel, in your true self
Remember how we started this piece by talking about how not all days feel the same? Yes, it’s okay to feel low and even not fight it. It’s crucial to acknowledge how we feel. But then, how we feel is often layered by so many things around us, such as social media or even the space around us.
Think about this: you wake up in a messy bedroom and start scrolling Facebook where you come across some terrible news! Yes, chances are your morning is ruined, and you will probably have a sluggish start for the day.
However, if you wake up in a neat space (after making your bed last night) and do not get on your phone the first thing, then you do wake up with yourself. And this is where you take a deep breath and acknowledge your day.
How do you feel? Do you feel happy, content? That’s great! Are you feeling low? That’s okay too. If you have a mood journal, then write it down. Now that you have established how you feel, you can go back to realizing that each day brings new opportunities and that being mindful about it and taking small steps can take us a long way!
2. Nourishment to the body and the mind
Our bodies work like machines. We need to fuel them. However, a lot of us only talk about how crucial it is to take care of our bodies — so much so that we forget to talk about our minds in the process.
The body and mind work in synchrony, and we must take care of them both.
So you can start your day by doing just that. Do whatever feels good — meditation, yoga, a workout. Maybe go for a run?
Yes, it can be hard to spread out that yoga mat, wear your running shoes, or put on your workout gear. But sometimes, it’s just about making that effort. And it’s good for us too! New research has found out that people who exercise are happier than those who do not. So which side of the fence do we want to be on?
With your body all warmed up, it’s time for a big and healthy breakfast. A big, balanced, and nutritious breakfast fills you up and leaves you charged for the day. With all the energy brewing in your body and mind, you feel ready to take any challenge that the day brings.
It is best to avoid junk in the morning (and generally) as our body takes time to process it. Besides, junk is just empty calories. A healthy breakfast has ample carbs, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You could even top things up with a nice fruit smoothie.
3. What’s your intention for the day?
So now you are ready to rock, and it’s time to get to work. You might be on your way to your office by now. However, the pandemic has forced many of us to stay at home and work, which means that it gets easier to slack around. This is when it becomes essential to get our intentions right.
If you do not have a to-do list yet, then I really recommend that you get one. It helps you with reminders, and more importantly, it puts things in order — it will remind you to wrap up that meeting preparation, buy groceries, and show up for a special date with a friend. It saves a lot of hassle and stress otherwise induced by wondering what to do and what not to do.
Talking about what to do and what not to — work is much easier when you are doing what you love. But how do you do what you love? Well, that’s a larger question, but it’s so well explored in this delightful essay by Paul Graham.
The takeaway
Yes, you now have an ideal morning routine, but it’s essential to keep on doing this. By building healthy habits, we form new neural pathways in our brains. So even though things might feel a little low sometimes, it’s just a matter of trying and putting in that effort. However, if you do not feel well and want to just, well, relax, then be kind to yourself and take a day off.
Like we mentioned earlier — do what makes you feel good!